ChatGPT users worldwide were recently caught off guard when their trusted AI companion went offline. Many took to social media to share their frustration and confusion as they dealt with the unexpected outage.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, confirmed the downtime, citing slow login times and limited functionality as the main issues. Alerts about the outage started reaching affected users shortly before 7 PM ET at 11th of December.
The situation quickly escalated into a major disruption, affecting its API, ChatGPT, and Sora services. Given that numerous organisations rely on OpenAI's API for their projects, this outage impacted millions of users worldwide.
OpenAI Scrambles To Fix Service Disruptions
Needless to say, OpenAI must restore service as soon as possible. While no estimated restoration time has been provided, updates will be shared as they become available.
OpenAI recently acknowledged service interruptions, reporting API call issues and login problems for platform.openai.com and ChatGPT. They've identified the cause and are actively working on a solution.
Reports indicate sluggish login times and diminished performance for certain features. Unauthorised access and other complications contribute to disruptions to OpenAI's API, ChatGPT, and Sora services.
In an X post, OpenAI admitted, "We're experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix. Sorry and we'll keep you updated!" The comment section was flooded with complaints from irate users.
The Impact Of ChatGPT's Outage
"How long will chatgpt be down for?," one user asked. "I paid 7 months for plus, canceled my subscription when it renewed the 12 and lost access on the 11," another wrote. "The new updates MacOS app is buggy, the beta canvas update sucks, and now service down. I am switching to Gemini and Grok. Could not even use Sora while I had my subscription."
"All I know is someone is getting fired," a third one added. "12 days (of downtime) of OpenAI," an X user noted. "I pay $20 a month just for it to not work when I have an assignment due tonight, thanks @OpenAI," another frustrated user wrote.
A few X users reported returning online, with one stating, "Im back online and my history is back as well. @OpenAI." Another ChatGPT user chimed in, "Seems like ChatGPT is back." Nevertheless, the comment section revealed some users' openness to exploring alternative AI chatbot services in light of the disruption.
While ChatGPT may be back online, it's prudent to consider alternative AI chatbots that can provide similar capabilities, especially in case of future disruptions. Let's explore some of these options.
Potential ChatGPT Alternatives
In the event of another downtime, the following have been proven to be worthwhile alternatives to ChatGPT:
Google Bard
Bard is a powerful conversational AI from Google that utilises advanced language models and accesses Google's vast knowledge base. It offers a user-friendly interface and aims to provide informative and contextually relevant responses.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant integrated into Microsoft's productivity suite. It offers features like content generation, task automation, and suggestions. It benefits business applications and can be a reliable alternative to OpenAI during outages.
Claude
Claude is an AI chatbot that prioritises safety and reliability. It is designed to avoid generating harmful content and focuses on providing accurate and helpful responses, making it a trustworthy conversational partner.
IBM Watson Assistant
IBM Watson Assistant is an enterprise-grade AI assistant offering a comprehensive suite of tools for developing, training, and deploying conversational AI. Its versatility, integration capabilities, and reliability suit businesses seeking a robust AI solution.
Replika
Replika is an AI companion designed for personal interactions. It offers emotional support and engages in conversations. While it may not be as versatile as ChatGPT for business applications, it fosters friendships and provides emotional support.
Hugging Face's Transformers
Hugging Face's Transformers library provides a versatile toolkit for natural language processing tasks. It offers a wide range of pre-trained models that can be fine-tuned for various applications, enabling developers to build sophisticated AI systems.
The recent outage of ChatGPT highlights the importance of having reliable AI alternatives readily available. Each of the abovementioned alternatives offers unique benefits and capabilities, allowing individuals and businesses to maintain productivity and innovation, even in unexpected disruptions.
